South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
News Release
March 21, 2013 CONTACT: Kim Iverson
Public Information Officer
(843) 571-4366
Upcoming Meetings Target Federal Fishereis Management Issues
Scientists convene in April to provide fishing level recommendations; advisory panels provide input
News Release (PDF)
Fishermen and others interested in federal fishery management issues may want to mark their calendars for upcoming meetings that will impact fisheries such as snapper grouper, dolphin wahoo, and mackerel. Protection of deepwater coral habitat, transit provisions, and the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems are also on the agendas. Members of the Councils Scientific and Statistical Committee will review stock assessments for black sea bass, cobia, and Spanish mackerel, and provide fishing level recommendations to the Council to consider for setting annual catch limits (ACLs). The Council will hold a special one-day meeting on May 13, 2013 via webinar to address fishing level recommendations for black sea bass. Several advisory panel meetings are also scheduled in the coming weeks. Advisory panel members, representing commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, fish house operators and others knowledgeable about fisheries issues, provide grass roots input into the fishery management process.
Additional information, including meeting agendas, overviews and briefing book materials for the meetings will be posted on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils Web site at www.safmc.net as they become available. Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. Meetings will also be accessible online as they occur. Details for accessing the meetings online will be posted on the website as they become available.
April 8-11, 2013 Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting and ORCS Workshop
Reviews of black sea bass, cobia, and Spanish mackerel stock assessments top the agenda for a meeting of the Councils Scientific and Statistical Committee in Ap